Ironing machine



IRONING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 9, 1965 ma; m7 ATTORN Aug.6, 1968 R. F. SCHWEGLER IRONING MACHINE Filed Spt. 9, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Roy /-7 Jam/5645a ATTORNEY? United States PatentM 3,395,468 IRONING MACHINE Roy F. Schwegler, Rock Island, lll.,assignor to Ametek, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of DelawareFiled Sept. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 486,021 5 Claims. (Cl. 38-55) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE On ironing machine with a plurality of modules, eachhaving a steam chest and an ironing roll, each roll having drivesprockets engageable by a chain, a drive unit having a drive sprocketalso engageable with the chain and a slack take-up sprocket, thetransmission having means to change the speed of its drive sprocket andbeing arranged so that a selected number of modules can be assembled asa unit and driven thereby.

This invention relates to laundry ironers and particu larly to animproved laundry ironer for flatwork.

Prior known ironers usually employ a multiplicity of parallel arrangedironing rolls between which and suitable heating means, laundry fiatworkis fed for effecting an ironing operation.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an ironer that iscomposed of substantially identical frame modules so that it can beextended or contracted by inserting or withdrawing a module to providean ironer of a desired length.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an ironer in which astandard transmission is employed to accommodate the ironer regardlessof the number of frame modules employed.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an ironer in whichthe transmission drives an endless chain that in turn drives all of thesprockets for the ironing rolls in the number of frame modules employed.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an ironer in whichthe transmission is capable of varying the speed of drive of the endlesschain.

In one aspect of the invention, a laundry ironer may comprise aplurality of hot chest frame means of modular construction having acontoured upper surface over which the flatwork is caused to pass inperforming an ironing operation. The frame means may comprise frame endmembers between which a hot chest extends and which chest is freelysupported on angle brackets on said end members. The end members mayinclude aligned slidable bearings for supporting an ironing roll thathas an outside radius corresponding to the contour of the top of the hotchest. An endless tape extends around a plurality of such rolls that aremounted in succeeding modules, said ro-lls having perforated peripheralsurfaces covered with padding, which latter is adapted to be forced intointimate contact with the contoured surface of the hot chest means.Laundry flatwork is adapted to be fed between said contoured surface andtape to perform the ironing operation.

In another aspect of the invention, the main drive to the ironer may beadjusted to vary the rate at which the laundry is ironed, and it mayalso be of modular construction to accommodate the modular constructionof the frame means.

In still another aspect of the invention, the transmission may beindependent of the ironing machine so that it may be readily removed asa unit.

The above, other objects and novel features of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description and accompanying drawings whichare merely exemplary.

3,395,463 Patented Aug. 6, 1968 In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an ironer, showing the driving meansfor the ironer rolls; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the principles of the invention are shown asapplied to an ironer made up of a plurality of frame modules 10, eachcomprising end walls 11 and 12 between which a hot chest (not shown)extends and which latter is freely supported on angle members fixed towalls 11 and 12. This construction allows relative movement so that thechest can align itself to its roll and can also move when expanding andcontracting under changes in temperature.

The end walls 11, 12 may include a plate 14 at each edge of which anangle member 15 may be attached, said member 15 including holestherethrough so that adjacent modules can be connected together by bolts16 or the like.

The hot chests may be of a hollow construction including a contouredupper surface having a concave portion of a radius to be describedlater, and convex curved portions extending from said concave portionthat mate with corresponding hot chest convex portions of adjacent hotchests in adjacent modules 10.

The side plates 14 may include aligned cut-out portions 19 adapted toreceive bearing blocks 20 that are mounted for vertical sliding movementalong ways 21 fixed to plates 14 on each side of the cut-out portions19. The bearings 20 in the aligned cut-out portions 19 of each module 10journal hollow shafts 22 that extend from each end of an ironing roll 23for each hot chest, which roll when wrapped with suitable padding has aradius that mates with the radius of the concave portions of thecorresponding hot chest.

There is provided a framework 46 that is different from the modules 10in that it forms the entrance to the ironer for starting and handlingthe ironed work to be passed through the ironer. The framework 46includes aligned bearings 47 for journaling a shaft 48 for a purpose tobe described later.

Referring to FIG. 1, the shaft 48 extends through both side walls of theframework 46 and supports a sprocket 48A on the outside of the far wallthereof. A chain 48B connects sprocket 48A to a sprocket 48C on a shaft48D. Another sprocket 48E fixed to shaft 48D drives a chain 48F thatpasses around sprockets 48G, 48H and 481 The sprocket 481 is fixed to ashaft that drives a roll that supports an endless belt or tapearrangement (not shown) which extends around another roll (not shown)that is located adjacent the convex portion of the first module 10. Thisarrangement provides a conveyor for feeding flatwork to the hot chestsof the ironer, which conveyor is driven by the shaft 48 in the framework46.

Referring to FIG. 1, sprockets 51, 52, 53 and 54 are fixed to shaft 48and to one of the trunnions 22 of each of the rolls in the three modules10. In FIG. 2, two modules 10 are shown, with two in dot-and-dash lines.An endless sprocket chain 55 connects all sprockets together and extendsover a tightener sprocket 56, a drive sprocket 57, and thence back tosprocket 51. Shaft 48 and bearings 47 take the double tension load ofthe chain 55 to prevent uneven loading of the roll 23 nearest it. Shaft48 also transfers power to the opposite side of the ironer and drivesthe infeed belt arrangement as previously de scribed.

A transmission or standard driving unit 49 may be provided foraccommodating any desired number of modules 10. It may comprise a base49A adapted to be located on the floor along one side of the multiplemodule ironer. A frame including parallel spaced walls 49B and 49C maybe mounted on the base 49A, and it may pivotally support an arm 58 onwhich the tightening sprocket 56 is mounted on shaft 49D. A pivoted rod60 pivoted as at 60A extends through an eye of an element 61 that slidesin a slot 62 in arm 58 and thus is operatively connected thereto. Rod 60supports a spring 63 between element 61 and an adjustable nut 64threaded onto rod 60. The arrangement is such that when the rolls 23 areraised, chain 55 remains in driving relation with all of the sprocketsby virtue of arm 58 pivoting counterclockwise against the force ofspring 63.

Drive sprocket 57 is fixed to a shaft 65 that is journaled in alignedbearings in walls 49B and 49C, and to which shaft 65 another sprocket 66is fixed. A sprocket chain 67 connects sprocket 66 to a sprocket 68 thatis fixed to a shaft 69 which is journaled in aligned hearings in walls49B and 49C. A V-belt pulley 7G, or the like, is also fixed to shaft 69and it is connected to another pulley 71 that is fixed to a shaft 72mounted between parallel arms 73, 73A, forming a frame-likeconstruction, and in which the one ends of arms 73, 73A are pivoted onshaft 69.

Another pulley 74 is also connected to shaft 72 and it is belt-connectedto an expansible V-groove pulley 75 geared to, or otherwise attached to,the output shaft of an electric motor 76 that is mounted on base 49A.The construction is such that pivoting of arms 73, 73A clockwise aboutshaft 69 will decrease the speed of rotation of drive sprocket 57; andmovement of arms 73, 73A in a counterclockwise direction will increasethe speed of sprocket 57.

A threaded nut 77 is pivotally mounted on pin 77A at the free end ofarms 73, 73A and it threadingly receives a threaded rod 78 which isfixed against axial movement but permitted to rotate in a journal 79. Acoupling 80 connects rod 78 to the output shaft of a reversible electricmotor 81 mounted on an end plate of the frame 46. Accordingly,energizing motor 81 to cause it to rotate in a forward or reversedirection will rotate arm 73 about shaft 69 and vary the speed of chain55 and hence the speed of rotation of the ironing rolls 23. This isbecause the expansible halves of pulley 75 will move apart as arm 73 isrotated clockwise as seen in FIG. 1. When this occurs, the effectivediameter of pulley 75 becomes smaller so as to reduce the drive speed.When arm 73 is moved counterclockwise, the speed will be increased.

From the foregoing it is evident that a standard transmission has beenprovided for a multiple module ironing machine which transmission is anindependent unit of the ironing machine and can be used to drive therolls of an ironing machine independently of the number thereof.

Although the various features of the improved ironer have been shown anddescribed in detail to fully disclose one embodiment of the invention,it will be evident that changes may be made in such details, and certainfeatures may be used without others without departing from theprinciples of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ironing machine, a plurality of modules, each having end framesaligned transversely of said ironer; a hot chest extending between theend frames of each module over which laundry flatwork is adapted to bepassed to perform an ironing operation; a plurality of shafts andironing rolls mounted on said shafts, one for each module, mounted aboveits corresponding hot chest; roll driving sprockets on each roll shaft;a unitary standard transmission for driving all of said sprockets, saidtransmission including a frame, a tightening sprocket pivoted on saidframe that lies in the same plane as said other roll driving sprocketsand is in engagement with said chain; a transmission drive sprocketmounted in said frame and lying in the same plane as said other roll andtightening sprockets, and in engagement with said chain; and means fordriving said transmission drive sprocket.

2-. In an ironing machine as in claim 1 wherein there 4 is a variablespeed means for driving the transmission drive sprocket.

3. In a roll-type ironing machine, a unitary transmission for driving aplurality of sprockets, each connected to the ironing roll of a multiplemodular ironing machine, comprising in combination a base; a stationaryframe mounted on said base; a belt tightening sprocket pivotally mountedin said frame and adapted to engage a chain for driving the sprockets onsaid ironing rolls; a drive sprocket for said chain mounted for rotationin said frame; another sprocket mounted within said stationary frame forrotation about the axis of rotation of said drive sprocket; a shaftjournaled in bearings within said stationary frame; a sprocket connectedto said shaft; a chain connecting said other sprocket and the sprocketconnected to said shaft; a frame pivoted to said shaft; a pulley on saidshaft belted to a pulley on said pivoted frame; another pulley on saidframe, belted to a pulley on said stationary frame, one of said last twopulleys being expansible; means for driving one of said last twopulleys; and means for pivoting said pivotal frame.

4. In a roll-type ironing machine, a unitary transmis sion for driving aplurality of sprockets, each connected to the ironing roll of a multiplemodular ironing machine, comprising in combination a base; a stationaryframe mounted on said base; a belt tightening sprocket pivotally mountedin said frame and adapted to engage a chain for driving the sprockets onsaid ironing rolls; a drive sprocket for said chain mounted for rotationin said frame; another sprocket mounted within said stationary frame forrotation about the axis of rotation of said drive sprocket; a shaftjournaled in bearings within said stationary frame; a sprocket connectedto said shaft; a chain connecting said other sprocket and the sprocketconnected to said shaft; a frame pivoted to Said shaft; a pulley on saidshaft belted to a pulley on said pivoted frame; another pulley on saidframe, belted to a pulley on said stationary frame, one of said last twopulleys being expansible; means for driving one of said last twopulleys; and reversible power-operated means for pivoting said pivotalframe.

5. In a roll-type ironing machine, a unitary transmission for driving aplurality of sprockets, each connected to the ironing roll of a multiplemodular ironing ma chine, comprising in combination a base; a stationaryframe mounted on said base; a belt tightening sprocket pivotally mountedin said frame and adapted to engage a chain for driving the sprockets onsaid ironing rolls; a drive sprocket for said chain mounted for rotationin said frame; another sprocket mounted within said statationary framefor rotation about the axis of rotation of said drive sprocket; a shaftjournaled in bearings within said stationary frame; a sprocket connectedto said shaft; a chain connecting said other sprocket and the sprocketconnected to said shaft; a frame pivoted to said shaft; a pulley on saidshaft belted to a pulley on said pivoted frame; another pulley on saidframe, belted to a pulley on said stationary frame, one of said last twopulleys being expansible; means for driving one of said last twopulleys; a nut pivoted to said pivotal frame, an axially fixed rotatablescrew threaded into said nut; and a reversing electric motor forrotating said screw.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 913,726 3/1909 Hecker 3856 X2,486,095 10/1949 Armstrong 74-23017 X 2,739,397 3/1956 Rose 38-522,795,874 6/1957 Widigen 38-55 3,118,239 1/1964 Suits et al. 38-55JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Assislant Examiner.

